I have no problem with indefinite suspensions until the outcome of the accused players trials. I think people automotically assume guilt too often these days. Why cut a player from the team when he may not have done anything legally wrong. Morally is another issue, maybe warranting a suspension but not a permanent seperation from the university.

but compare the severity of the punishment doled out to the guys who "don't matter", i.e. a freshman expected to redshirt anyways being sent home for obstruction of official business vs. the blue-chip starter. They certainly didn't wait for a verdict on that one. This is throwing a nondescript player who wouldn't have contributed this year "under the bus" to make it seem like they are taking swift and decisive action.

That is very true and I agree with that sentiment that the punishments weren't equivalent. I don't agree with not giving equal punishment. The only valid reason would be if there were more facts present for the Gardner case, like if he willingly admitted that he was pleading guilty. In that case a punishment could come before judgement.

First of all, we don't know all the facts so I am not going to rush to judgement on any of these kids. Secondly, Gardner had to "earn" his scholarship. He actually tried to commit and the staff told him that he had to lose some weight first. So, yes, I do think that it is absolutely fair that you kick a kid off the team if that kid who knows damn well that he must do everything right, including staying out of trouble, and work harder than anyone to be on this team and then subsequently gets in trouble with the law.

it is a sign of abuse, they're getting into alcohol-related fights/crimes, or they get behind the wheel of a car. Absent that sort of thing I don't see it as a big deal or a blot on a team/coach/college.

Assault, if its not the usual pushing and shoving where no one is injured beyond the band-aid scrape level, is something different. As best I can tell, Roby's activity doesn't rise to that level, so missing a few games seems a reasonable punishment (and calling this out to his future employers, which could really affect him).

Carlos Hyde on the other hand seems to have actually hurt someone; if that gets proven out, he should not be allowed back.

"Your job is also to help build these young people into grown ass men."

I'm willing to bet this noton will not be popular, but: no, his job is not to mold college athletes into pillars of the community. His job is to win championships and keep the fan/donor money flowing. Would I want a coach like that here at Michigan? Hell. No. But at most places on all levels of competition, the head football coach's sole job is to win championships and damn the expense (financial or moral). Is it right? Probably not. but it works for the universities and that's why they keep doing this.

So that nobody takes this the wrong way, I'm not condoning coaches who are terrible, heartless people. I'm simply saying that most of the more successful universities in the NCAA pay a coach to win games and bring in the money and would gladly riskcharacter issues, scandals, and negative press to do it. Just ask UNC, USC, SMU, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Rutgers, Oregon, Mississippi State, Tennessee, MSU, South Carolina, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Arkansas State, and (yes) Alabama.

I don't know man. While I agree you have to win, I do not agree they don't care about character. Just because it isn't always the first thing on the agenda doesn't mean that administrators don't expect the coach to keep their players out of trouble and out of negative news. They may not necessarily expect them to be great molders of young men, but they sure as heck don't want the negative publicity that comes with arrests and scandals. I'd guess if you ask the administrators at all those universities you mentioned they'd probably tell you they pay a lot more attention to the character of their coaches after running into problems than they did before. Winning is a pre-requisite, but doing so without getting into trouble and breaking the rules is also expected.

Good administrators (talking Gee here so....) certainly want there programs out of headlines no matter the win record. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to coach a team sport at a reasonably high level. We recruited for character always and in the long run it always payed off. Not saying we ignored talent but our administrators valued that our players were rarely in trouble, had good grades and were punished appropriately when they did make a mistake.

Sorry man, but I still disagree. I'm willing to bet that if the chips were down and Gee (or the presidents of any of the above universities I listed, including the one I forgot, Graham Spanier) had to make a decision about whether he wanted to lose clean or win dirty, he would pick the latter.

Anybody else thinking that this might be the reason OSU's pre-B1G schedule is so weak every year? It's like they know they are going to have at least a couple of starters suspended early in the year. They know their second stringers can handle the cupcakes.

Yeah, I remember them playing Texas, USC, and Miami as home and homes before they signed Cal. USC was #3 and #1 the two years they played them. Miami was #12 the first time they played them in 2010. Texas was pretty sick too and they split with them. When they scheduled Cal they were good...that wasn't exactly their fault. They typically try to play one national brand and the rest cup cakes, but they do make an effort to play one national brand. Hard to fault that too much.

This Steve Spurrier quote can apply to playing Ohio : “I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”

I think the biggest issue is down the road, and not just with these players. In future recruiting battles some other coach (not Hoke, per all that I've seen) is going to negative recruit, and a recruit's parents are going to think twice about sending their child to play on a team where this sort of activity becomes mundane.

Remember it wasn't that long ago that Carr allowed 3 or 4 players convicted of felonies to stay on the team. What did he do to the starters? He set them the first play of the game and they weren't announced in the starting lineup. One of them that I know of is still playing in the NFL. To be fair, their records were later expunged,but to be convicted of a felony is pretty serious business. They stole a a lot of shit.

“I have a clear set of core values in place that members of this football program are constantly reminded of and are expected to honor,” Meyer said in a statement issued by Ohio State late on Monday afternoon. “There are also expectations with regard to behavior. I expect our players to conduct themselves responsibly and appropriately and they will be held accountable for their actions.”